Sexually transmitted papillomaviral infections: IV. The white scrotum.

Retrospective review of 353 male patients, partners of women with known HPV infection, revealed a 22 percent (77) incidence of subclinical scrotal involvement histologically characterized by koilocytosis, and clinically diagnosed only by the routine application of 3% acetic acid. Previous viral typing of 20 of these subclinical lesions revealed HPV DNA in 8 cases. Of these 4 contained high-risk HPVs, suggesting that the "white scrotum" is an important reservoir for the transmission of HPV to the female genitourinary tract.